Thandiswa Mazwai Wins Four SAMA Awards for Sankofa

The 31st annual South African Music Awards (SAMAs) ceremony on Sunday, December 14, 2025, was a night to celebrate Thandiswa Mazwai, whose  acclaimed 2024 album, Sankofa, won four major awards. The achievement cemented her status as an influential voice in African music.

Mazwai’s fourth studio album, Sankofa, was among the most-nominated projects, sharing the top spot with  artists like Black Motion and Kelvin Momo. The quality and meticulous creation behind the work were recognized with wins in technical categories, showcasing the album’s quality. Her awards include Best Engineered Album and Best Produced Album.

Beyond the technical triumphs, Sankofa was honored in two major categories. Mazwai was named Female Artist of the Year, and she also secured the award for Best African Adult Contemporary Album, acknowledging the album’s success within this genre.

Thandiswa Mazwai : Instagram

She was a top contender with Black Motion and Kelvin Momo, for the total number of nominations, the full list of competitors in the categories she won gives true context. For the Female Artist of the Year category, the results do not specify the other artists she was directly contested with. Similarly, the exact list of albums she competed against for Best African Adult Contemporary Album is not specified, though the list of winners confirms she won.

Thandiswa Mazwai : Instagram

For the technical awards, Best Engineered Album and Best Produced Album, only Sankofa is listed as the winner; the competing engineers and producers are not specified.

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Mazwai’s dominance at the SAMAs  highlights a perfect evening for a musician who has paid her dues. The celebration was captured in her social media post following the wins. Her success, alongside other major winners of the night like Goldmax, took home Album of the Year.